Bernard H. Breslauer (1918–2004) came from a Jewish family. His father, Martin Breslauer, owned a bookstore specializing in antique and rare books in Berlin; however, in 1934 they were forced to leave Germany due to the Nazi threat. They moved to the United Kingdom in 1937 and received help from Robert von Hirsch, who had been a client of his father’s. He granted them a loan, enabling them to open a bookstore in London. Bernard specialized in medieval and Renaissance bookbindings and went on to publish numerous catalogs. In 1977, he moved to New York. There, in collaboration with the Pierpont Morgan Library, he organized an exhibition of his collection of manuscripts and illuminations. After his death in 2005, his estate was auctioned at Christie’s.
Bibliography
VOELKLE, William M. y WIECK, Roger S. (1992): The Bernard H. Breslauer Collection of Manuscript Illuminations, Pierpont Morgan Library, Nueva York.